The U.S. Jobs Report came out today, showing there are more than 10 million jobs available, and only about 6 million people listed as unemployed. Baldwin County is feeling that firsthand. There are thousands of open jobs, but no one is applying. Folks are pointing the finger at the covid 19 pandemic, but some employers say the worker shortage started years before then. One employer told me almost daily he has to turn down work because there just aren't enough employees to do the job.
"It doesn't do any good for our businesses to not have workers if you go out to eat and all the tables are not open, it's probably because they're short of workers," says Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich.
There's not a shortage of now hiring signs in the windows of businesses in foley, but Mayor Ralph Hellmich says there is a shortage of workers in Baldwin County.
"We're short close to 6,000 workers," says Hellmich.
"We felt it mostly since covid," says John Atchison, the Assistant Manager at Mamma Mia Pizzeria in Foley.
Atchison says during the pandemic, the restaurant had to make some adjustments.
"We were actually looking for some servers help right up till today actually. We had two people come in this morning," says Atchison.
He says members of his staff sometimes work from open to close. The pizzeria is looking to hire kitchen help and pizza cooks.
"It's hard for us to compete with some of the stores in Gulf Shores because we don't get some of the tourism that they get in Gulf Shores or in Orange Beach so sometimes it may be hard to compete for employees that way," says Atchison.
Just 10 minutes away from the pizzeria in Silver Hill, some employers are seeing the same kind of problem.
Tony novak, owner of kaiser pool constructionwa8 12760
"It's very difficult to find qualified trustworthy people to work,” says Tony Novak, one of the owners of Kaiser Pool Construction.
Novak says there are several positions open.
"We're turning down work because you know we have to make the most of the people that we have," says Novak.
Novak says he turns down as many as a dozen jobs every day. He says this has been an issue for years now, but the Covid pandemic made it worse. He says people got used to staying at home.
"Everyone I talk to tell me they have difficulty finding workers," says Novak.
"The more help the better," says Atchison.
According to the Alabama Department of Labor, Alabama's Unemployment rate for April 2023 is 2.2%